Black has done well with what he's got

San Diego Padres manager Bud Black argues with home plate umpire Cory Blaser after a challenge by the Washington Nationals ruled Yonder Alonso out at second base on a steal attempt during the ninth inning of a baseball game at Nationals Park Thursday, April 24, 2014, in Washington. The Padres won 4-3 in 12 innings. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

San Diego Padres manager Bud Black argues with home plate umpire Cory Blaser after a challenge by the Washington Nationals ruled Yonder Alonso out at second base on a steal attempt during the ninth inning of a baseball game at Nationals Park Thursday, April 24, 2014, in Washington. The Padres won 4-3 in 12 innings. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

During Bruce Bochy’s 12-year hitch as Padres manager, I received hundreds of emails — not an exaggeration — calling for Bochy’s big head on what would have had to be an enormous platter. It’s hard to say the vitriolic volume was less or greater than the sound and fury heaved at Norv Turner. It was close.

No kidding.

Anyway, Bochy was despised by the local vocal minority, although he won when he had players, as he has since he went to San Francisco, where he’s been fitted for two World Series rings (the Giants are splendid again) and may one day meander into the Hall of Fame.

On the other glove, all strangely has been quiet since Bud Black took over for Bruce in 2007. But the venomous emails are starting now. Buddy’s Teflon seems to be peeling off.

Although Black’s kids had yet to win a National League West title, it didn’t seem to matter much to the Angry Villagers — who blamed Norv for everything from the Chargers’ failure to win a Super Bowl to global warming — until April. It was last month, when the Padres comprised the most inept, hopeless batting order I’ve witnessed since San Diego entered the bigs in 1969, when the wolves began to howl.

They basically were unwatchable at bat. We heard they were pressing. The Padres now have a $90 million payroll. They’re supposed to be pros. And yet they swung their sticks as if bunnies were being tossed at them. Inexcusable.

That they almost scored as many runs in their weekend series with Miami as they did in April doesn’t seem to matter. Bud is Zola Budd. Or Yoko Ono. Or V. Stiviano. It’s all his fault.

And I am here to tell you, while he’s been at the wheel, he hasn’t been to blame. Black has gone into the ring against Ali without a puncher’s chance.

I’ve also heard about Black what we heard about Norv, that he isn’t fiery. I can’t say I’ve seen him more vocal than he’s been this season.

It’s correct to say that, with captaincy comes responsibility. Black is in charge. But he’s an employee. He doesn’t hire players. Don Coryell told me more than once after players went down or held out: “I can only play who I’ve got.”

But, as one emailer wrote back to me after I defended Black: “How about bunting, sacrificing, hit and run???? How many double plays have they hit into? He’s a pitching coach. That’s it. … If you’re right, fire the front office. I know he’s a nice guy, but be a journalist.”

I’m trying.

It’s hard to play small ball when you have no ball to play. The Pads have little power, but they’ve had many, many opportunities with runners in scoring position and have been pressed to get the ball past the mound. When the ball can’t be soundly struck, it’s almost impossible for a manager to do anything. Hit and run? You’re forgetting there has to be a hit to go with the run.

Since the Padres moved into Petco in 2004, they’ve had seven batting coaches, Phil Plantier being the latest. Not one knew what he was doing? Former Padres GM Kevin Towers once told me: “The hardest job in America is hitting coach at Petco.”

So are we saying that, if Black and Plantier had been fired on April 15, the Padres would have batted .350 the rest of the month?

“I understand how fans react to the good and the bad,” Padres General Manager Josh Byrnes says. “But you can’t be knee-jerk about everything. It’s important to remember that Bud and his people have given us some good results.

“We faced maybe the best pitching in the National League over the weekend and got it going. It’s a long season; we’re about a quarter of the way through it and we’ve managed to stay afloat. We’ve proven we can play with the good teams.”

It’s true Black has been a pitcher and pitching coach. So what? He’s not the only one, and I’ve always heard the best managers know how to handle their staffs.

If you want to blame Bud Black, go ahead. But he’s not just a good guy. He’s a good manager.